A Day of Making Friends and Learning Mindfulness

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this event for free. My insights and opinions are my own.

“New Year, New You: The Beauty Within” was the title of the Mindful Her event that I attended two weekends ago. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. I didn’t make any real resolutions on the first of the year. I didn’t pick a word, I didn’t set intentions. I simply told myself that the recent changes I had made were working, so I’d stick to those. (Spoiler alert: I haven’t!) The goal of this Mindful Her event was to “help women adopt healthier practices one step at a time for a slow evolution to being healthy in mind, body and spirit.” Baby steps. That’s what I need.

I woke up on the morning of Mindful Her an exhausted mess. I usually sleep in on Saturdays and let my husband do all of the parenting. He doesn’t mind spending some time with our wild bunch of kids, and I get an extra hour or two of precious sleep. To be honest, my first thought when my alarm was blaring in my ear was “I don’t want to go to this thing today.” I do that a lot, actually. I psych myself of things all of the time. But when I remembered that it would be a day in Laguna Beach without any kids and I got ready in record time.

Once I got there, my nerves were almost instantly calmed. The day-long event was held at a beautiful venue in Laguna Beach called Seven-Degrees. From the succulents out front, to the beautiful chandeliers inside, to the fountain and fog-kissed walk-through garden in the back, it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy myself.

Breakfast was provided by one of my favorite companies, Sambazon. (They make some delicious products, but also do great work in the Brazilian Amazon.) They have a few acai bowl cafes around here, and set up a little stand to make some of those yummy bowls at the event for the attendees.

After breakfast it was time to head inside and find a seat. I picked an empty table in the back of the room, something I always do – old habits are are hard to break. Luckily I was soon joined by some really nice ladies who were excited for day’s speakers.

Side note – I really appreciate the attention to detail on behalf of the Mindful Her staff. Reading the magazine before the event helped me get a better idea of what to look forward to. Of course a pad and pen are great to have – I love taking notes but often forget to bring something to write on. They also had healthy snacks scattered around the table.

The day started off with a moving presentation by some of the young girls from a local chapter of Global G.L.O.W. talking a bit about the program and how it effects their lives. It is obvious that the program has a strong focus on positivity, something that is beyond important for growing young girls to find. I felt moved to get involved, and hope that I can find time to do so in the near future.

One of my favorite speakers was Megan McCarver, a certified yoga teacher who shared with us some great strategies for mindful meditation. After we meditated together as one big group, the next speaker, Lissa Coffey, came in to talk to us about the ancient practice of Ayurveda.

Lunch followed, also included. A local natural foods cafe called Active Culture brought their Quinoa Lentil bowls. Such a hearty and healthy lunch for attendees. There was plenty of time during the break for a visit to the vendors.

Some of the vendors were also speakers, so it was nice to be able to chat with them face-to-face and ask any questions that weren’t able to be asked during their time on the stage.

After lunch we learned about toxin-free beauty care from Sarah James of Whorrl, and “Quieting The Inner Critic” from Tawny Avonne. I really loved the variety of speakers that were brought in. We also heard a little background on YogaSmoga, from owner/founder Tapasya Bali. (American-made Yoga-wear for REAL bodies, you guys!!)

Right before the final Q&A panel with all of the speakers, there was a surprise (because it wasn’t on the agenda) Happy Hour with amazing sushi and delicious drinks.

My takeaways from Mindful Her: New Year, New You: The Beauty Within:

It is important to fuel your mind, just as you do to your body.

Surrounding yourself with like-minded people helps you achieve your goals more easily.

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it.

Meditation is a powerful device.

Being a positive influence on someone can change their life.

You don’t have to be your own worst critic, you can be your best cheerleader instead.

Mindful Her is a great resource for women who are looking for balance in their lives.

I’m so grateful to the Mindful Her founders for letting me attend their conference, and I’m looking forward to implementing some of the things I’ve learned and hopefully help make my life a little less chaotic.

Next up from Mindful Her is “The Mindful Couple,” on Valentines Day in beautiful Trabuco Canyon, CA. For more event details, click here.

About Angela

Angela has been writing since she could hold a crayon. These days she writes from her living room amidst the chaos of a house that looks like it was visited by a tornado of toys and clothes. When she's not saying "keep your body parts off of your brother," she enjoys cooking gourmet meals for the harshest seven-year-old food critic in town, tuning out the blasting volume of the television, traveling all over the country with and without her family, and running through a Lego obstacle course with bare feet.

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Angela has been writing since she could hold a crayon. These days she writes from her living room amidst the chaos of a house that looks like it was visited by a tornado of toys and clothes. When she's not saying "keep your body parts off of your brother," she enjoys cooking gourmet meals for the harshest seven-year-old food critic in town, tuning out the blasting volume of the television, traveling all over the country with and without her family, and running through a Lego obstacle course with bare feet. Read More…